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Publisher’s Preface
Dear Reader:
We are pleased to offer this electronic version of General S.K. Malik’s book, The
Quranic Concept of War , to the public. We are making this volume available because
of its critical significance in the ideological foundations of the international jihadist
movement and the unapologetic rationale if offers for the use of terrorism to
accomplish political and religious ends. Not only does Malik’s book take a
prominent place amongst contemporary interpretations of the Islamic doctrine of
jihad, but its virtual inaccessibility to Western scholars and military analysts makes
this electronic republication critically necessary.
The continued relevance of The Quranic Concept of War is indicated by the discovery
by US military officials of summaries of this book published in various languages on
captured and killed jihadist insurgents in Afghanistan. This is hardly a surprising
development as Malik finds within the Quran a doctrine of aggressive, escalating
and constant jihad against non-Muslims and the religious justification of terrorism as
a means to achieving the dominance of Islam around the world – dogmas that
square with the Islamist ideology driving terrorism worldwide.
Equally as important as the argument for jihad advanced by Malik in this book are
the Forward by Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, the late President of Pakistan and Army
Chief of Staff, and the Preface by Allah Bukhsh K. Brohi, the late Advocate-General
of Pakistan. Their respective endorsements of the book established Malik’s views on
jih d l l d h ff l
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non-Muslims), accepts the redefinition of defensive jihad to include the removal of
any obstacles and countering any resistance to the spread of the message of Islamand the institutionalization and governance according to shari’a. In this view, even
passive resistance to the advance of Islam is legitimate grounds for attack.
A study of Malik’s The Quranic Concept of War is indispensable for anyone who seeks
to understand the religious nature of jihad and implications of this doctrine for non-
Muslims. Malik’s book provides valuable insight into the widespread teaching in the
Muslim world that recognizes the vital link between Islamist ideology and Islamic
warfare and terrorism. We would like to thank LTC Joe Myers for offering his
introduction to the work as well.
Patrick Poole
Mark Hanna
**Be sure to review Patrick Poole’s brief analysis, “The Quranic Concept of War and
Terror”.
http://patrickpoole.blogspot.com/2005/12/quranic-concept-of-war-and-terror.htmlhttp://patrickpoole.blogspot.com/2005/12/quranic-concept-of-war-and-terror.htmlhttp://patrickpoole.blogspot.com/2005/12/quranic-concept-of-war-and-terror.htmlhttp://patrickpoole.blogspot.com/2005/12/quranic-concept-of-war-and-terror.htmlhttp://patrickpoole.blogspot.com/2005/12/quranic-concept-of-war-and-terror.html
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Introduction
The Quranic Concept of War by Brigadier S. K. Malik is an important contribution
to the understanding of Islamic “just war” theory and the preparation and
prosecution of war in an Islamic context. Originally published in Lahore
Pakistan in 1979, it stands, like other works such as Sayyid Qutub’s Milestones or
Mohammed Faraq’s, The Neglected Duty, as a statement about the role and the
duty of Islam to fulfill its mandate as revealed by Allah to the Prophet
Mohammed. That mandate remains to call all of mankind to Islam, da’wa in the
fulfillment of God’s will and importantly to help ensure Islam’s unimpeded
triumph throughout the world.
The Quranic Concept of War is a required addition to what can be described as the
canon of Islamic strategic jihad studies. Published in the period following
General Zia ul-Haq’s Islamist coup d’etat in Pakistan and nearly concurrently
with the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan, it would soon become
mandatory reading in the Pakistani Army. Likewise, Pakistan’s neighboring
Indian military forces took note of it where the book was later republished in
India in 1992.
This work has remained relatively unknown in Western military circles, though
it has important themes related to the nature of Islamic warfare in the way of the
Prophet Mohammed. Malik’s work contrasts in an important fashion with other
jihad scholars and intellectuals in that it was authored by a serving, career
l ld ll h l d W l h d d
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the unique Quranic injunctions to combat the “forces of evil.” His formulations
form an important part of this study.
Critical themes of Malik’s work is that “just war” or jihad in Islam is inherently
spiritual warfare, religious warfare, and to the extent that Islamic forces have
spiritually prepared themselves, they will “strike terror into the hearts” of
Islam’s enemies. This terror as Malik describes in detail, is both physical and
metaphysical, because Islamic warfare is intrinsically part of a cosmic struggle
for the reign of Allah’s will on the earth between the forces of God, dar al-Islam,
and that of dar al-Harb, those who dwell in ignorance and darkness of the true
knowledge of God.
While the reach and influence of this work is unknown in the world of terrorism
and jihad, the themes have been echoed in terrorist organizations such as al-
Qaida and those philosophically aligned in recent years. Anyone charged or
interested in the defense of reason and freedom of conscious should study the
Quranic Concept of War for its intellectual and strategic ramifications.
Lieutenant Colonel Joseph C. Myers
United States Army
Maxwell, AFB AL
10 October 2006
**Be sure to read LTC Myers’ excellent review essay of The Quranic Concept of
W [ ] [ ] h W 2006 200 f P h US A W
http://www.carlisle.army.mil/usawc/Parameters/issues.htmhttp://www.carlisle.army.mil/usawc/Parameters/issues.htmhttp://www.carlisle.army.mil/usawc/Parameters/06winter/win-ess.htmhttp://www.carlisle.army.mil/usawc/Parameters/06winter/win-ess.htmhttp://www.carlisle.army.mil/usawc/Parameters/issues.htmhttp://www.carlisle.army.mil/usawc/Parameters/06winter/win-ess.pdfhttp://www.carlisle.army.mil/usawc/Parameters/issues.htmhttp://www.carlisle.army.mil/usawc/Parameters/issues.htmhttp://www.carlisle.army.mil/usawc/Parameters/issues.htmhttp://www.carlisle.army.mil/usawc/Parameters/issues.htmhttp://www.carlisle.army.mil/usawc/Parameters/06winter/win-ess.pdfhttp://www.carlisle.army.mil/usawc/Parameters/06winter/win-ess.htmhttp://www.carlisle.army.mil/usawc/Parameters/issues.htm
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All rights reserved,
no
part of this book may be reproduce, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electron ic, mechanical
photo copying, recording andlor otherwise wlhout the prior w riien
permission of the pub lishes.
c
Big.
S.K.Malik
Indian Reprint Edition, 19 92
ke 4s 9
I
Prlnted In Ind
Published by Ada m Publishers Distributors
Shandar M arket, Chitli Qabar, Delhi-110006.
Printed at J.R.Offset Printers, Delhi-110006 .
ontents
Foreword
Preface
Author's ote
Acknowledgement\
...
.. ...
ntroduction..
...
Histo rical Perspective .
...
...
The Causes o f W ar
...
...
...
...
The Object of War ... ... ...
...
he Nature and Dimensions o f War
...
...he Ethics o f War ...
...
...
...
he Strategy for War
...
...
...
he Conduct o f War
...
... ...
...
he Application o f Quranic M ilitary Thought
Summary of Ma jor Conclusions
...
...
I
...
uranic References-Subject-wise ...
Qura nic References-Sura-wise ...
...
...
..
hronology ...
..,
Bibliography
...
... ... ...
... ...
ndex ... . . . ...
ages
7
16
25
36
46
5
72
42
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*Mapsand Appendices
Maps
Pagcs
Arabia, The Persian t The Roman Empires 610 AD.
7A
11 The Persian Invasion 610.616AD 9
111 The Roman Counter-Offensive 622-628 AD. 14
V Arabia 610 AD.
73
V
TradeICaravan Routes,
76
1 Pre-Badr Raids and Liaison Missions
I1 The Battle of BtlJr 8
Ill The Battle of Ohad
115
X
The
Siege of Medina An lllustratioa
X Military Operations: 625632 AD.
Ap cdlcw
1
The Holy Prophet s Military Campaigns
11 The Holy Quran on Badr
11
The Battle of Ohad Case Study
V The Divine Critique on Ohad
V
he
Holy Quran on Khandaq
I
The Divine Verdict on Hodaibiyya
l
The Quranic Revelations on Tabuk
Behold, thy Lord said to the angek I will crratc a vicegerent
on earth '. They said, 'Wilt Thou place t h i n
me
who will
ntake
mischie f therein and shed blood?-whilst we o celebrate Thy
prabes and glorify T hy holy (name)?
h
suid,
1
know what ye
know nor.'
And He taught Adam the nature of all things; then He placed
them w o r e the angels and said, 'Tell Me the nature of these i
ye are right'.
They said, 'Glory t o Thee: of k nowledge we hove none, save
what Thou host taught us: in truth it is Thou who are perfect in
knowledge
and
wisdom'.
i aid, 0
A ml
tell them their nutures'.
When he had
told them, Allah said, 'Di d I not tell you that
I
know the secrets of
heavens and earth, nd I know what ye re1.ea1 and whut ye
conceal?
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reface
Brig. S.K. Malik has made a valuable contributron to Islamrc
jurisprudence by presenting a comprehensive survcy of the Quranic
Approach to the Principles of War and Peacc. His has been
scholarly presentation of what
m y
bc
considered as an analytic
Re-statement of the Quranic wisdom on the subjcct of war and
peace. Some ruling concepts on that subject, as these are to be
discerned in the writings of Western publicists, have been examined
and exhibited for what
they are worth in the context of Quranic
principles. As far as I am aware there are hardly any Books in the
forensic literature of Islam that have dealt with the problem from
the perspective from which the lear ne~ uthor has attcmpted to
deal with it in his treatise. The annexlires exhibit some special
features of Holy Prophet's military campaigns and more specifically,
the casestudies that have a bearing on the battles of Badr.
Ohad and Khandaq tend to show author's deep insight into the
way Quran deals with the issues of war and peace. The value of
the book has been considerably enhanced by the author having
ihcluded in the book several maps showing the principal patterns
of war strategy employed in the battle of Badar, Ohad and Khan-
daq. He has also included general bibliography and incorporatclj
all the Quranic references in the light of which he has attcmptcd
lo
present his thesis.
Seen in the Quranic sctt ing, man's role here below
s
one of 'struggle', o r striving and of encrgetically combatting forces
of evil or what may be called, counter-initiatory forces which
are at war with the harmony and'the purpose of his life on earth.
he
mpst glorious.word in the vocabulary of Islam is
Jehud
a word
which is untransl;~table n English but. broadly speaking. means.
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oreword
write thesc few lines to commend Brigadier Malik s book
on The Quranic Concept of War to both soldier and civilian
alike. JEHAD FI-SABILILLAH is not the exciusive domain
of the professional soldier, nor is it restricted to the applicaiion of
military force alone.
This book brings out with simplicity, clarity and precision
the Quranic philosophy on the application of military fora, within
the context of the totality that is
JEHAD
The professional
soldier in a Muslim army, pursuing the goals of a Muslim state,
CANNOT become professional if in all his activities he does
not take on the colour of Allah.
The non-military citizen of a
Muslim state. must, likewise, t aware of the kind of soldier that
his county must produce and the ONLY pattern of war that
his country s armed forces may wage.
have read this book with great interest and believe that it has
a
useful contribution to make towards this understanding that we
jointly seek as citizens of i ~slamic State, soldier or civilian.
pray and trust that this book will
t
read
by
many. For a task
so
sinarely undertaken and so devotedly executed, the author s
reward is with his Lord.
GLNJERAL M ZIA-UL-HAQ
hiuf
o the m y
f a f
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palm trees; do not burn dwellings or wheat fields; never cut aown
fruit trees; only kill cattle when you need it for food. When
you
agree
upo a treaty take care to rcspact its clauses. s your
advance progresses, you will meet religious men who llve in
monastries and who serve God
in
prayer: leave them alone, do not
kill
them or destroy their monastries. There are various tradi-
tions of the Prophet which tantamount to making similar dec-
larations. (see particularly Mohammad Hamidullah's Muslim
Conduct of State, Lahore 1968 page 204). It would e seen that
these declaratior~s hat have a bearing upon the humanization of the
ethos of the combatants in war were uttered at a time when bar-
barian kings drove their swords into the ground of battle-field
calling for massacre of all enemies taller than the hilt. But in
Islam war is waged to establish supremacy of the Lord only when
every other argument has failed to convince those who reject His
Will and work against the very purpose of the creation of mankind.
Indeed, a person who goes to holy war virtually is offering
resrimony
regarding the paramountcy and supreme authority of
God's law by giving up the most precious thing he has, n-imely.
his life. This seems to be in response to the norm laid down in the
Holy Quran for those who wish to approach righteousness and win
favour with their Lord. Says the Quran: You cannot approach
righteousness until yo11 give up that which you love the most.
Indeed the cry word Shaheed which is roughly taken to mean
as a martyr, literally signifies the idea that he has borne testimony
as a witness that God's law is sapreme and any one who attempts
to obstruct the progress of those who are taking their path to God
will
e
dealt with sternly--for that is the only way in which to
restore and to rehab~litate he author ~ty f God on Earth. Simi-
larly, in the Quran in Chapter
V
Verse, 75 we are admonished
that we must rescue those who are being oppressed by their
tyrannical rulers. The actual text
is
as folloss:
And why should ye not fieht
n
the cause
o f
God
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Preface
Preface
And all those who
Eking weak are ill-treated
(And Oppressed)
From amongst men, women and children
Whose cry is Oh, Lord.
Rescue us from this land
Whose rulers are oppressors
And raise for us from thee
One who will protect,
One who will help.
Broadly speaking the war aims of any Muslim armed
force engaged in fighting have also been stated in Sura Mohammad
verses and
4:
Those who disbelieve and hinder (men) from th path
of God, their deeds will Lord render astray (from their
mark) Thenfore, when you m-tt the unbelicven
smite their necks at length, when you have thorouik~y
subdued them build barrier against them; thereafter
(is the time for) ekher generosity or ransom, &ti1 war
lays down iis burden.
Islam views the world as though it were bipolarisad in
two o.,psing camps-Dams-Salm facing Dml-Harb-the first
one is submissive to the Lord in co-opcrating with the God's
purpose to establish peace order and such other preconditions
of hunan development, but the secbnd one, on the other hand, is
engaged in perpetuating defiance of the same Lord. Such a state
of affairs which engages any one in rebellion against God's w ll
is termed as FitnaW-which word literally n~urns a t or trial
The term Fitna refers us to misconduct on th- part of a man
who establishes his own norms and expacts obedience from others.
themby usurping God's authority-who alone is bovercip.
in
Sura Infa'al Chapter L-Verse 39, it is said And fight on until them
remains no more tumult or oppression and they remain submissive
their desire of getting more land or more booty are not allowed in
Islam.This is sofbtcausehere the
ruk
is, all striving must be for the
sake of God and for the purposes of upholding His Majesty,
Authority and the sanctity of His Holy Name The
wars
ia the
theory of Islamic law are in the nature of an undertaking to advance
God's purposes on earth, and invariably they are defensive in
character. It is a duty of a believer to carry forward the Message
of God and to bring it to the notice of his fellow-men in handsome
ways. But if someone attempts to obstruct him from doing so
he is entitled, as a measure of defence, to retaliate. The problem
of war in Islam, therefore, strictly speaking, is controlled'by one
master desire, namely, of pleasing the Lordeand of defending the
lawful interests of those who, having believed in Him, are not
being allowed to carry on. the obligations imposed on them by
their religion.
So far as the Holy Quran is concerned, there are numerous
verses contained in it which highlight this concept of Jehod, and
in one of the verses of the Holy Quran i t has been clearly stated:
To those who strive unto us (Jahidwfina) we always show them
the way (Chap:
29V 69 .
All this clearly means that Jehad also
is a means of discovering the truth, of finding out what man should
do in order to fulfil the law. Even search for knowledge is an
aspect of Jehad
and
has been ranked as a Jehad-cAkbar, that is to
my t
is regarded as a greater struggle as contradistinguished
from Jehad Bil-Saif (striviog with sword) which is described
as
a
Jehod-eAsghar, that is, Jehad on the minor scale.
11would thus appear that in Islam the personal will of the
conqueror, his lust for power, his desire to have personal fame
are totally irrelevant. When he fights in the name of Allah he
does so
Lo
uphold His Iaw and the honour of His Name and for
the def ena of legitimate interests of the believers. It is only in
defined set of
circumsfances that war is permitted. As any one
can
see
this is a highly controlled afiir; indeed, it is totally regu-
lated by law.
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I
I I W rcgulatcs declaration of war
a s
st lo the
:'imitations imposed on i t mllduc t : i lpon examina t iu~~ ,t would
appear that Is lan~ic1-aw
has
k e n designed to pronallc idc;~lo l
justice. lo Chapter
I
verse 19 we have reference to [tic rlut of
the Muslims to "fight in he cause of God those who fight
y t ~ i
nd
he not
aggressors,
God
lovcth not Illore wlio arc
; I ~ ~ C S S O ~ ~ '
This clearly shows tha t there is
a
direc tio~l o the bclievcrs
t o
ligllt
only those who fight them. Th e bziievcr thlls is not allowed lo
b t k aggress or, since "God docs not love those who are oggrcs-
sors." of' ourse, the term use d, 'you', in the context would
s am
to be a pointer towards ibe ~dro le f
tbc
body of believers and
i t is in this sense that war in Islam is total that is, everybody who
is
a
believer is to contribute his share towards the waging of
w a r .
The Muslinls when they are engaged in lighting a r e not
to transgress the limits within which war is allowed to be waged
and, in principle, they are not to be crl~cl r become revel~gdul.
The general command to
be
just an d fair is disccrnihlc iron, Chapte r
V . Verse
8
"Oh, ye who believe
stand out firmly for God
as
witnesses
To fiir dealings,
And let not the hatred of other people to you
make you swerve t o wrong and depart irosl juslcc .
He jusl, that is next to piety. And icar God.
Surcl ~, Allah is aw are of what you do.
Then there is tha t f am ous directive issued by the firs1
Cal lp i )
of Islam, Haz rat A bu Bak r which seems to reflect the spirit
of moderation and humanitarian approach of the law of Is lan~.
Said he, "Ranember that you are always under the gaze of God
and on the eve of your dea th; th at you will have to reckon on the
Last Day :.........When you fight for the lor) of God behave like
men, without turning your
back,
but let not the blood o f women or
that of children or the agtd tarnish your victory. Do not destroy
reface
only t God." T o the same effect are the words used in Sura
Toha
Verse 9, "Fight' those who believe not in the Lord, nor ihe
Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which has been forbidden by
lord and Hi s Apost le nor acknowledge the religion of truth (even i f
they are) of the po pl e of ihe book, unti l they pay J a zya with
willing submission a nd feel themselves subdued."
Many Western Scholars have pointed their accusing
fingers at some of the above verses in the Quran to be able to
wn ten d that wo dd o f Islam is in a state of perpetual struggle against
the non~Muslims. As to them it
is
a sufficient answer to make.
if one were to point out, that the defiance of God's authority by
one who is His slave exposes that slave to the risk of being held
guilty of treason an d such a one, in the perspective of Islamic law,
is indeed to be treated as a sort of that cancerous g rowth on that
organism of huma nity, which has been created "Kanafsin
Wahidatin" that is, like one, single, indivisible self. It thus
becomes necessary to remove the cancerous n~a l-for mat ion even
if
it be by surgical means (if it would not respond to o ther
treatment), in order to save the rest of Humanity.
In Islam, the believer is admonished to invite non-believers
to the fold o f Islam by employing the power of his persuasion
and by using beautiful metho ds in extending the invit ation
lo then1 to accept Islam . Th e first dut in lslam is to
extend Dan9a, nd the Prophet of Islam himself has been described
by Quran as 'Invitor to God'--one sent
by
Cod to call under His
comm and pcople to His ways. Thu s every believer, io begin with,
has to reflect this virtue by inviting people in handsome ways,
particularly those who are seen by him s disrupting public order
by creating mischief in the land. They are invited to shun their
f al se w ays a d Lo return to the true path. 11 is ollly after they
refute this 'Dawa' and confront the world of lslam by raising huge
armies and equipping them wiih weapons to fight uslims that a
situation arises in which, the invitation to accept Cod's w aving
been declined, the believers h:~veno op ~io n i ll
i n
sheer sclf-defence
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Preface
heritage by a set pattern of thought, belief, and practice and by
reason of this spiritual participation in the enterprise of universal
history it supplies the spiritual principle of integration of mankind-a
principle which is supra-national, supra-racial, supra-linguistic and
suprarerrirorial. Thu s man is viewed as way-farer on h is way to
Go d and all those who join him in this march , (Fi Deenillah Afwaja)
draw their nourishment from that spiritual reservoir of the milk of
humanity of the kind which only an spiritual mother is capable of
supplying to her infant children. It is impo rtant for the Mussalmans
to realise how distant they are as yet from the Muslim ideal and
unless they cling to the rope of God and put an end to their internal
schism they will not be able to view the world of Islam as one
Ummah. Their role on earth is to communicate the same Message
of God and his practice Sunnah) which they have inherited from
their Prophet and if there be any one who stifles their efforts and
obstruc ts them from co mmun icating the Message he will be viewed
as constituting membership of Darul-harb and liable to be dealt with
as
suclr.
Since the motto of a believer is La Ikraha Fiddin', war
is not the way to secure conversions to Islam. This purpose has
specially been directed to be achieved by means of extending
Rawa', and using valid argu mem s and presenting the case in
beautiful ways to those who d o not beliebe.
The law of war and peace in Islam is as old as the Quran
itself. Indee d, the term used by Muslim Jurists for interna tiona l law
is Sayyar which is a plural of Seerat shows that it is the conduct
of the state in relation to another state which is what international
law regulates. In Islamic international law this cond uct is, strictly
speaking, regulated between Muslims and non-muslim s, there
being, viewed from Islamic perspective, no other n ations. The
modern international law although it was very vitally influenced
b y
Islam traverses a different groun d altogether. It is a law which
regulates conducts of various nations interse on the basis of
sovereign equality of all nations. In &lam, of course, no nation
s sovereign since God alone is the only sovereign in Whom all
aythority vests.
17. Before conc lude this brief survey of the special featur es
and characteristics of the law of Islam touching and concerning
the problems of war and peace I would like to refer to a recent
article entitled Conduct of Hostilities and the Protection of the
Victims of Armed Conflicts in Islam by Mar cel A Boisard.
The writer. is the Co-Director of Diplomacy Training Programme,
in Gra dua te Institute of Internatio nal Studies, Geneva. He has
enumerated in a summary form the basic features reflected in legal
rules of lofty humanitarian qualities as follows:
1
armed hostilities oppose systems, not people, who
therefore are to be spared insofar as m ilitary necessi-
ties
strict0 senslr
permit;
2. strictly forbidden are excesses of any kind: inflicting
cruel and useless suffering upon the enemy, using
treacherous means and weapons of mass and indis-
criminate destruction;
3 the illegality of those rep risals which could constitu te
a violation of basic humanitarian principles;
4 the distinction between combatants and non-com-
batants, respect for those wha are no longer engaged
in battle-the dead, the wounde d, the prisoners-
and neutralization of medical personnel and supplies;
5.
affirma tion of individual responsibility-the basic
axiom, of Muslim law in general-implying the non-
permissibility of collective punishment an d the tak ing
bf hostages;
6 decent treatment of prisoners; guarantees that t rr
r
lives will be spared and that they will
be
released as
soon a s possible;
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reface
7
collaboration with the enemy on all humanitarian
projects;
8.
finally, it c n be noted at this stage that the above-
mentioned rules are binding in the case of internal
conflicts as well. Rebels automatically enjo y a de
jure recognition and are not held responsible for
deaths and destruction caused by their acts of war.
Lcarned author after having summed up the above mentioned
rules proceeds to offer his appreciation of the excellence and comp-
rehensiveness of the rules he discerns in the scheme of Islamic
lnternarional Law: in his words:
This enumeration demonstrates that the fundamental
postulates o f the ~b s l i m law of war ar e particularly
pertinent, repeating land, sometimes, in their substance,
goin8 beyond the norms decreed by the rules of the
Hague and the Geneva Conventions. We have described
them in their raw state and in their positive traditionat
formulation, and have thus perhaps not emphasized an
essential factor n the economy of the system: the abso-
lute identity of law and religion. Becausc of his respon-
sibility as an individual the Muslim violating rule might
expose himself, perhaps to worldly, and certainly to
divine, punishments. Within the double perspective of
eternity and relativity, we have had to concentrate obr
attention on the latter, though
it
is less important in the
eyes of the believer. Legal scholars, searching for the
guiding principles of their speculation in and frcm the
sources of the faith and the example of the Prophet,
established, as early as the 2nd/8th and 3rd/9th centuries,
imperative norms which regulated internal and inter-
national conflicts. It is worth recalling them for they
could e inspirational, not only to certain political
leaders in the contemporary Muslim wotH, but also
to participants In various diplomatic conferences, on
arms limitation, on protection of human rights in times
of violence, and on the reaffirmation of the international
humanitarian law of armed conflicts. Indeed, the
Muslims beCeve these rules to be divine and even the
most sceptical outside observers must. recognize that they
arc
t
the very least, eternal.
1 have no doubt, the present book would stimulate
interest in the Islamic law of War, particularly the special emphasis
that the religion of Islam places upon regu lation of hostilities by law.
Brig. Malik has laboured to the end that the concept of war in
Islam be better understood and for this we owe deep debt of
gratitud e to him. May God bless his work and advance him,
(Ameen).
7&Moskmabad, Karachi.
ALLAH BUKHSH K. BROHl
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Author s ote
The Holy Quran is a source of etevnal guidance for mankind.
Its Treasures arc available to all those who genuinely seek them.
s
Man proceeds to probe into it, the Book begins to reveal itself
unto him. The science and logic of this sublime divine document
simply prevails upon his mind. Each new discovery reinforces
his Faith, adds to his knowledge, broadens his spiritual horizon
and gives him Light and Guidance to regulate his affairs.
The Book makes repeated appeals to mankind to use intellect
and reason in its understanding and interpretation. It calls
upoh us to make the fullest use of all our senses in the search of
Knowledge and Truth. It lays emphasis upon the importance of
humsn ob se ~a ti on , nvestigation. inquiry and research. Indeed,
the Holy Quran invites mankind to study it; to deliberate upon
its laws and principles; to observe and investigate the Signs of
Allah given in it; and to reflect upon its theory and philosophy.
Our human failings and shortcomings need not deter
us
from
conducting a research into the Hoiy Quran.
Man, by his very
nature, is mortal and fallible and the Book, undoubtedly sublime
and perfect, has. af ter all, been revealed for human mortals like
us. Given honesty of purpose,
a
research conducted along the
lines suggested by the Holy Quran is, in fact, the safest, the surest,
the most absorbing, rewarding, revealing, and profitable research
of all. The Guidance give n in the Bopk is based on solid divine
foundations and has the brightest prospects aod potential of
producing results.
As a complete
ode of
Life. the Holy Quran gives us
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Author s ote
philosophy of war as well.
This divine philosophy
is
an intcgral
part of the total Quranic Ideology. It is a philosophy that is
controlled and
conditioned
by the Word of God from its conception
till conclusion. No other military thought known to Man possesses
this supreme characteristic; from it, flow its numerous other
attributes. It is complete, perfect, comprehensive, balanced.
practical and etrective.
The Quranic military thought can
be
studied from several
angles and directions.
It has its historical, political. legalislic and
~noral istic amifications. This study is essentially a technical and
professional research into the subject. The r ison d e tre of this
work lies in its approach. Such a research is essential to put our
subsequent study of the Muslim military history in its correct
perspective. It is needed to lay bare those secrets of war which the
human mind has been struggling to decipher for ages. It should
e
undertaken to obtain
a
total and overall view of the divine
t
heories and concepts on war. Above all, it should be understood,
absorbed an d practised to benefit ourselves from its unlimited
blessings.
This
book is a modest attempt at introducing the subject to
the reader. Research into the Holy Quran is oat one-man s job.
It is the collective and continuous responsibility of the entire Muslim
Urnmah. 11 takes a life-time of research to extract a drop out of
this Neverending Reservoir of Knowledge and Wisdom; and ~t is
only by pooling such drops that we can derive the maximum
benefit from it.
I shall consider myself immensely fortunate if this humbk
attempt is worth a fradion of that drop .
S.
K
MALlK
Acknowledgements
ofTer my grateful thanks to General M. Zia-ul-Haq for
sparing his most valuable time to go through the manuscript of the
book and for endorsing a Foreword to
it
To Mr. A.K. Brohi.
1 owe a heavy debt of gratitude for his generous and affectionate
guidance in the preparation of this work and for writing its
Preface
1 acknowledge, with deeD reverence. the debt of gratitude 1
owe to Lieutenant-General A.I. Akram for guiding and training
me, over the past many years, to undertake a work of this nature.
t
was his kind and competent guidance that blazed new trails and
gave direction to my efforts. To Major-General Saecd Qadir, who
took a keen personal interest in the whole project,
I
am highly
obliged and indebted.
My grateful thanks are also due to Dr. Aman Ullah Khan.
Chairman, Department of Islamic Studies, University of the
Punjab; and to Lt. Col. Shahid Ahmed Khan of the Army Edu-
cation Corps (formerly, Head of the English Department.
Pakistan Military Academy)
for
their kind advice and assistance.
I
offer niv sincere thanks to Colonel Shabkir Hussain Shah;
Lt. Col, Ghulam Abbas and the staff of Army Central Library; Lt.
Col. Ghulsm Sarwar and the staff of National Defence College
Library; Lt. Col. AMul Ghafoor. Lt. Col. Q A. Barlas. and Lt.
Col. Riaz Hussain; and Naib Subedar Saleem Hussain Shah,
Havildar Mohamrr.ad Nawaz, Ha-fildar Mohammad Saddique.
Naik Allah Dit ta and L/Nk Mohammad Sharif for their help at
various stages of the completion of the book.
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